Wow, I feel like you were writing about me. I've gotten these strange rashes or patches for so many years, for a while I thought this was normal. However, when I was probably about 10 or 11 years old, I started have these weird skins issues happen. We had an above ground pool in our back yard and any time I went into the pool, I would breakout in hives - head to toe. It was so bad that these hives would connect to each other - I thought my skin would burst. After about 45 minutes, they would just disappear as quickly as they started. That went on for about 7 or 8 years - maybe more. It was during this time that I started feeling joint pains and various body pains for days or weeks at a time. This all happened at the same time the rashes and patches appeared, but the pains would linger for a longer period of time - so I really never put them together. Then I noticed my thumb nail started to look weird. The doctors told me it was a fungus and removed my nail (would NEVER recommend that ever). The nail grew back the same way. It seems that every time I had an outbreak of these patches or rashes or whatever they were, by the time any doctor got to see me - they would be gone. Nothing ever showed up in my blood. It was frustrating. Finally, I went to see the fifth Rheumatologist and he went on a hunch - before he had any blood test results and started treating me for Psoriatic Arthritis - he had me start taking methotrexate. Then my blood tests came back - all negative. I really didn't know what that meant, but I thought to myself - oh no now what? The doctor told me that many times the blood tests will come back negative, but the symptoms are clear - he was confident that I had psoriatic arthritis. After about 6-7 months on methotrexate I was feeling no relief from pain at all, but the rashes and patches seemed to be under control. So, I stopped taking the medicine and stopped going to that doctor. Over the next year, my physical health just went down hill and I was in constant pain - unable to do much of anything. Fast forward almost three years later - I found a new Rheumatologist and he ran the usual blood tests and one special test that he sent off to a different blood lab. It took a while for those results to come back, but they indeed came back positive. I guess what I'm trying to say is - don't give up if you don't get the answers you are looking for. Find another doctor or four other doctors - whatever it takes. It's hard to accept this diagnosis, but when I'm in agony - I know this is something I'm fighting every day. You sound like you have the same symptoms that I have, I hope you find relief quickly, but be ready to accept the diagnosis - whatever it may be. That part is almost harder than the treatment.

I suffered without seeing a physician until four months after the patches started. By that time it was clear that I was suffering from inverse, plaque and guttate psoriasis. It took two weeks to get to see a dermatologist after my primary sat there acting as if she's learned nothing about this in school. Once I did get to the derm, he told me what it was, gave me a shot and told me we would start Embrel on my next visit. Well, One of the creams he prescribed spread the rash until it has engulfed 80% of my body. The only things that helped were the cream for the inverse and the shampoo for my scalp. I'm still waiting. My insurance company has ridiculous stipulations on co-payments and I haven't had the monies to get healed. Even if I had been able to pay for another $175 appointment, the expense of Embrel will be so far out of reach for someone like me living on social security with my hubby (also disabled and on social security). I haven't been able to refill the prescriptions for any of the medication. I have a few patches that never cleared themselves but I still deal with not only several patches on my legs and back, and the pain & swelling of psoriatic arthritis on top of my osteoarthritis and other ailments including fibromyalgia. I pray for help for all of us.

So Amazing, all your stories sound like mine!!! I struggled for 16 years of living hell to get my skin condition under controlled. I was 37 years old, after having my 3rd baby, thats when my skin started to breakout into rashes. I t got worse over the years and later it manifest into arthritis as well. I went from one specialist to another. Used tonnes of cortisone creams, tried uV light treatment, all kinds of medication.. I have tried nearly everything. Spend a fortune seeking help.
I was covered in sores from head to toe, every inch of my body is scally and inflamed, except my face.Yes, like you CanadianRA, I was so desperate that I wanted to take a knife to skin myself, after not having any sleep for 2 months. I was going insane, the itch drives me crazy even though I swallowed that many antihistermine pills. This is only the skin part or my story, I also developed arthritis, so bad that I kept dropping things while cooking, drop my pots most of the time... can't get out of my car, can't get down the stairs.. oh so pitiful...feels like 40 going 80s. No doctors could help me. They say no cure, learn to live with it. What a BS!!!

To cut my story short, I finally nailed it. Got it all under controlled 3 years ago. I send my blood work for an IGG test, intolerance food test.
They send me the results, a list of foods to avoid. I started from there... eliminate all those foods completely... The skin starts to clear, the aches and pain went.
I got back my nails, grow lush beautiful hair again, skin cleared but left some bad scaring. Best of all, got back my mobility, I can run, and jog, no more aches and pain. No Medication. Besides dieting, I took extra supplements like MSM, collagen drink for healing and sealing the guts. Constant detox is the best way to deal with the whole situation.
I am here to encourage all of you that there is hope after all. I have nailed it, so can you. Do give up, seek for your cure.

Psoriac Arthrits is real....my husband has it bad. Let us know what you find out.

I got psoriasis 20 years ago when I was 40 on my earsand all over my head and my forehead. My grandfather had it that's how I got mine! Genetic someone in your family had it somewhere. Now 20 years later I got up one morning soo much ain I couldn't even walk for a couple days my ankles and knees felt like they were ripping skin off of meat!! Horrible. red scally skin itches terrible. I use three different liquids to stop the itching. reply to cathy I am new here.

aand I just found out I have psoriatic arthritis now. very very painful stuff. need support to cope with this awful stuff. cathy